“How did he get so much grain?” “Oho! Every sheaf yielded him six gallons, and, as soon as he started threshing, he brought them in sheaf by sheaf.” “Oh, my brother Nicholas!” Elijah guessed: “you must have told him what to do!” “Well, I thought it all out, and was going to say....” “What are you after? It’s all your work. Never mind; your peasant shall still have a reminder of me.” “What will you do?” “I shall not tell you this time!” “Well, if evil is to be, it will come.” Nicholas thought, and again went to the peasant, told him to buy two tapers, one big and one small, and gave him instructions. Next day Elijah the Prophet and St. Nicholas were out together in the guise of wanderers, and the peasant happened to meet them, carrying two waxen candles—one big one that cost a rouble, and a little one that cost a kopek. “Where are you going to, peasant?” St. Nicholas said. “Oh, I am going to light the rouble taper to the Prophet Elijah; he has been so charitable to me. My field was ravaged by hail, so he intervened, _bátyushka_, and gave me a crop twice as good.” “For whom is the farthing dip?” “Oh, for St. Nicholas!” the peasant said, and pursued his way. “There you are, Elijah,” said St. Nicholas: “you said I gave everything away to the peasant; now you see what the truth is.” And with this the dispute was ended: Elijah the Prophet was reconciled, and ceased persecuting the peasant with hail-storms, so that he lived a merry life from that day and honoured both name-days equally. THE PRINCESS TO BE KISSED AT A CHARGE We still say that we are clever, but our elders go and quarrel with us and say, “No, we had more sense than you.” But the tale tells that, even when our grandfathers had not learned their lessons and our great-great-great-great-grandfathers had not been born, in a certain kingdom, in a certain land, once there lived an old man who had taught his three sons reading and writing. “Now, children,” he said to them, “I shall die; do you come and read prayers over my grave.” “Very well, _bátyushka_,” the three sons answered. And the two elder brothers were indeed fine lads, and they grew up fine stout fellows; but the youngest, Vanyúshka,[32] was under-sized, like a starved duckling, and flat-chested. The old man, their father, died. Just about then a decree was issued by the Tsar that his daughter, Eléna Tsarévna the Fair, had ordered a temple to be built for her, with twelve columns and twelve wreaths. She was going to sit in this temple on a lofty throne, and was going to wait for the bridegroom—the valiant man who should on a flying horse, at a single spring, kiss her on the lips. All the young folks were bustling about, washing themselves clean, combing their hair, and considering to whom should the great honour fall. “Brothers,” Vanyúshka said, “our father is dead: who of us will go and read prayers on his grave?” “Whoever wishes may go,” answered the brothers.